My Mega Tibi Try-On

Or: A Child Walks Into a Candy Shop

So I made it to New York and had an amazing try-on session at the Tibi flagship. Saying I was excited is an understatement - it felt like Christmas. Thanks to the patient welcome from Emmanuele at Tibi, I tried on a lot from my wishlist and am super excited to share it with you!

What I Tried

There are a few things I kind of needed, but nothing very pressing. For example, I’d like another shirt-jacket or similar cover-up for summer, as well as a business and/or casual skirt. So this shopping trip was driven more by what was available than by an actual need - and by the hope that I wouldn’t go crazy in the store. As you’ll see, I mostly succeeded! For reference, I usually wear M or L (8–12 in Tibi), size 10 in skirts, 8–10 in pants, and 29 in Tibi jeans.

First up – the Compact Ultra Stretch Knit Pencil Skirt – great material and great fit. Not on sale, and I already have one compact stretch skirt in yellow, so that was a pass for now.

I had high hopes for the Eco Poplin Bubble Hem Shirt Jacket, but there was only L available (I’d go for medium in this, or maybe even S), and it was huge on me. But a very interesting shirt-jacket nonetheless.

I then really wanted to try the new season pieces, and I did. Drapey Suiting Liam Blazer, Marit Pull On Pant, and Oversized Vest – I rest my case - this is the best material for the Liam blazer: beautifully draped and casual enough for errands yet polished enough for work. The Marit pants looked great too; I took an S instead of my usual M/10.

Bonded Dry Loop Terry Skirt – Loved the colors, but the toweling fabric felt a bit resort-only. But maybe my thinking is limited :) In any case, I liked all these pieces a lot.

I was planning for the Tropical Wool Tie Front Trouser Skirt in ivory to be my pick, and guess what - it wasn’t what I expected. The tie structure didn’t work very well for me, as it was quite tight around the belly area, and the tie fell underneath the belly. So I decided not to proceed with this style in wool and in eco poplin. The Tropical Wool Short looked good, but it lost to more appealing competitors in the Tibi store.

The skirts with a pleat add-on in lavender and white looked amazing online, but in reality the materials were quite heavy, and the pleats were hanging a bit low. The skirt without the add-on, though, was looking very good and there could be many opportunities to play with it. But since I needed to choose, I decided to move on.

I really love color and thought that one of these skirts - Bio Twill Riding Skirt or the Shirred Nylon Paneled Skirt - might work. The Bio Twill fabric and shape worked well for me, but it was very short if worn unbuttoned, and the buttoning seemed a bit of a hassle. Still, I liked this skirt and it continues to be on my wishlist.

Shirred Nylon Paneled Skirt – as some fans noticed, the shirring is in not the most flattering areas, and to be honest, it’s the story of my life with Tibi skirts - I fall in love with wide, big skirts, but what works best on me is actually A-line and narrow skirts. So a pass despite beautiful colors in mint and plum.

I then tried a number of different tops: Italian Sporty Nylon Sleeveless Blousant Vest, Bonded Viscose Sculpted Sleeveless Top, Eco Poplin Hooded Shirt, Shirred Nylon Hoodie With Cocoon Back, Dry Loop Terry Baby T-Shirt and Crispy Sweater Oversized Easy T-Shirt.

My favorite was the Eco Poplin Hooded Shirt in Navy, which felt nice and had that cool vibe to it. Still on my wishlist for the future, perhaps.

I then tried the available shoes (Roy, Seth in leather, Seth in Nylon, and Wilder) and the Lloyd bag. Loved the Roy boot, but it will not survive a Lithuanian winter or even fall - a good option if you live somewhere warmer though. The bag was very cool too - way spacier than I thought, so could be a decent option for a laptop, and has that strong edge to it.

What I Almost Bought

Alright, let’s get to the really difficult choices. I was surprised how sleek the Nylon Zipper Maxi Skirt looked - the zippers created straight vertical lines and it was looking really cool. I only skipped it because others got my heart.

Bio Twill Boatneck Shirt Jacket was on my wishlist and it looked great. The color, the material, the shape - all of these were very nice. However, it was a bit too tight on the chest and not really suitable for wearing open - still, it stayed in consideration up to the very last minute.

The Bio Twill pieces were the biggest surprise for me. I’ve read how Tibi fans give rave reviews for these pieces (todayshegotdressed brought my attention to them), but I never really considered them for me. First, I’ve had my fair share of wide pants and usually prefer more narrow pant iterations. Secondly, the front pleats usually look quite bad on me.

Not this time though. The construction of these pieces is something. For some reason, they just look stunning, and I have no explanation for that. I loved the Bio Twill Triple Pleat Cropped Pant in Plum, and the Bio Twill Triple Pleat Skirt was also amazing, but this color was only available in 10, whereas I preferred 8. So my final choices basically came down to different Bio Twill pieces.

What I Bought

Despite feeling very excited and in love with so many pieces, I managed to contain myself and limit myself to only two items. I was deliberating between the Bio Twill Triple Pleat Cropped Pant and Bio Twill Triple Pleat Skirt in navy and decided to go with the skirt (they had my size in store, size 8), as it felt more natural and aligned with my style. I did not make a mistake - three days after purchasing, I already wore it to an event, a picnic, and will soon wear it to work - this skirt is that universal.

Another pick was the stunning Italian Sporty Nylon Tie Skirt in Lava, which can be tied below. The shape of this skirt was just something that felt so right - I even forgot I don’t like nylon and already have a red skirt. Anyway, I already wore it on the way back and love it as well.

While I managed to contain my excitement, it still felt a bit like an ex-alcoholic “just taking this one glass”. After I purchased these pieces, I immediately started planning, thinking, strategizing - do I need this skirt in the orangey color too? Should I still buy the Bio Twill pants anyway? The way you recognize this is not entirely healthy is that there’s no feeling of “enough” - when I buy an item I’m not excited about (e.g. an umbrella), I feel covered and done. Not here. It just feels like I want to buy this, that, and something else.

Anyway, for now I’m letting these thoughts sit for a bit, while I enjoy my new skirts :)

Other Brands That Exist Too

Since I was travelling, I had to acknowledge that other brands exist in the world as well, not only Tibi.

My first stop was Vince. These Vince pieces were exactly what you’d expect - high quality, sleek - but perhaps a bit maturish? Still, I’d take that top if the price was a bit lower, and the pants were good too.

I also checked out Tory Burch - it’s been killing it with footwear recently. The rounded toe ones were quite uncomfortable, but I was trying them with socks - so perhaps that’s why? The other two options looked great. They were two sizes too small but still felt quite narrow - I’m curious if the correct size would also feel narrow. In any case, a great option.

Finally, I checked out Modern Citizen - didn’t find that many good pieces as I expected. The dresses were actually my favorites. As you can see, I was already quite tired - didn’t even bother to remove my jeans when trying. Both of these dresses were too small for me in medium, but could be an option if I still have remaining budget and closet space from Tibi :)

So these are my impressions - as usual, it just goes to show that shopping IRL is so much better than relying on the final sale option for Tibi fans in Europe. Looking forward to enjoying my pieces and visiting Tibi again in the future!